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Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue and Summit County Senior Services have been selected to participate in a training conference on fire- and fall-prevention sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association.

The conference, titled “Remembering When: A Fire- and Fall-Prevention Program for Older Adults,” takes place from June 4 to 6 in Las Vegas. The two local agencies were among teams from 30 communities across the United States and Canada selected to participate in the event, according to a Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue news release.

Teams are composed of one member of the fire department partnered with an individual from an agency within the community that serves older adults through home visits. Each team will train alongside a National Fire Protection Association public education field partner from the same state or region.

Each award covers training, materials and travel expenses, which is valued at more than $4,000, the release stated.

Following the conference, Lake Dillon Fire will conduct a minimum of five group presentations and at least two train-the-trainer sessions for Summit County Senior Services. Summit County Senior Services will integrate materials from the Remembering When program into its outreach through home visits, the release stated.

“The Remembering When program targets a wide age range of older adults,” said Karen Berard-Reed, senior project manager for the National Fire Protection Association, in the release. “We believe helping active adults develop safe habits will reduce risks of fire and fall injuries as they age.

“Folks older than 65 are twice as likely to die in a home fire compared to the total population. Falls are the leading cause of death from injury for this age group. This program uses a partnership approach to help fire and life safety educators reduce the risks of falls and fires in their communities.”

The Remembering When program has been implemented in communities throughout North America since 1999 to help thousands of older adults learn strategies to help them live safely at home, the release stated. The program also is available online at no cost.